Numeros Diplos Max First Ride: What Does The Newest E-Scooter On The Block Have To Offer?

PHOTOGRAPHY: Pawan Dagia
 

Numeros Motors, a Bengaluru-based EV startup, has primarily focused on the commercial vehicle market up till now. So far, its lineup consisted of two B2B variants of the Diplos electric scooter, aimed at fleet and delivery services. Now, the company has introduced a new Max variant of the Diplos, designed for the B2C category or personal use. Essentially, it’s the same scooter but with a pillion seat instead of a storage rack. 

Numeros Diplos Max: Design and dimensions 

Looks identical to the B2B variants save for new colour schemes and alloy wheels. 

The Diplos Max looks almost identical to its commercial sibling, save for a few tweaks. The main differences are the alloy wheels, pillion seats and some new colour options – red, silver, and blue. While it gets the same round LED headlights, DRLs, and beak-style mudguards, there’s little effort to visually distinguish the B2C version from its B2B counterpart. A bit more flair or unique design elements would have distinguished it further from its sibling. 

The Diplos Max has a wheelbase of 1430mm. 

Dimension-wise, the scooter is quite long at 1960mm and has a wheelbase of 1430mm, which is longer than models like the Ampere Nexus or Ather Rizta. At 137 kg, it looks heavy on paper, but in real-world conditions, it feels effortless to handle. However, the 150 mm ground clearance was an issue. With a pillion rider, we scraped the main stand over a bump, which might be concerning over the huge bumps the Indian roads have to offer. 

Numeros Diplos Max: Comfort, practicality, and features 

The Diplos tips the scales at 137 kg. 

Comfort-wise, the Diplos Max offers a spacious seat, which appeared to be the longest in the segment but has a cramped footboard. The long seat allows you to slide back for a relaxed riding position, but the small footboard limits your ideal sitting position. 

It has an under-seat storage capacity of 13 litres. 

However, practicality is where the scooter falls short. There’s no front storage space, and the under-seat compartment is limited to 13 litres due to the battery placement, fitting only a half-face helmet. It does come with a couple of bag hooks, but that’s about it.

Gets a digital instrument cluster with a helmet-icon inset as a reminder.  

On the features front, it has an all-digital cluster showing day-to-day readouts and a helmet reminder icon which is a nice touch. The display is bright and easy to read even in harsh sunlight. Unfortunately, the quality of the buttons felt subpar, and the oddly placed vertical button lever for riding aids looked out of place, even if it didn’t affect usability.

The battery goes into sleep mode if the scooter is at a standstill for 10 minutes. 

Numeros has added a ‘sleep mode’ for the battery. If unused for 10 minutes, the scooter powers down entirely, and you need to use a kill switch under the seat to reactivate the scooter.

Numeros Diplos Max: Battery pack, ride, and performance 

Gets a 3.7 kWh lithium ion battery pack; peak motor output is 2.7 kW (3.5 bhp). 

The 3.7 kWh battery pack is removable, shared with the B2B variant, and has a claimed range of 140 kilometres on a single charge. In our brief ride, we saw the state of charge drop to 78 per cent after covering a decent distance, with 65 km of range still displayed. This suggests that efficiency isn't at its best in Normal mode, the scooter's most powerful setting. For charging, the company is providing a 1.2 kW charger, and according to Numeros, the Diplos will take 3-4 hours for a full charge. 

Performance-wise, there are two ride modes – Eco and Normal. Eco caps speed at 45 kmph, while Normal allows a top speed of 63 kmph, which is adequate for city commutes. However, the throttle response can be better. According to Numeros, the Diplos Max employs a unique throttle mapping – designed to maximise range – and requires at least 50 per cent input before the scooter starts moving, making initial acceleration sluggish. The instant torque delivery and acceleration expected from an electric vehicle are missing on the Diplos Max. 
 

Braking performance comes from a 220mm disc at the front and 180mm at the rear, offering which is good for shedding speeds. The scooter rides on 12-inch wheels. The suspension setup – a telescopic fork up front and dual adjustable shocks at the rear – handles rough patches well and provides a comfortable ride for both the rider and pillion. 
 

Numeros Diplos Max First Ride: Verdict

The Numeros Diplos Max shows potential but has room for improvement. While it offers good comfort, it struggles to stand out in a competitive segment with numerous rivals offering better practicality, performance, and features.
 

Numeros Motors will be launching the Diplos Max electric scooter at the upcoming 2025 Bharat Mobility Global Expo. Solely looking at the specs and battery pack, we expect its price to be in the range of Rs 1.30 lakh and Rs 1.40 lakh (ex-showroom).